Exercise device adaptable to permit the performance of a plurality of different exercises

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed an exercise device which is adaptable to permit the user to perform a number of different and varying exercises which includes two ladder assemblies provided with a number of horizontal cross bars, a bed-shelf assembly, and a grip-bar assembly positioned above the bed-shelf assembly, the bed-shelf assembly and the grip-bar assembly being supported between and by the ladder assemblies and positioned at any desired inclination with respect thereto and with each other.

limited States Patent 1191 Levenberg May 29, 19735 [541 EXERCISE DEVIQEADAPTABLE T0 3,316,564 5/1967 Rogers, Jr. ..s/s PERMIT THE PERFORMANCE()F A 2,817,522 12/1957 Margulies ..272/58 PLURALITY F DIFFERENT 3 1C Om[76] Inventor: Kay W. Levenberg, 2844 28th St. N. FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS We Washmgmn, 7,947 6/1902 Austria ..272/57 [22] Filed: Apr.28, 1970 Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham PP N05 321620 AssistantExaminer-Richard J. Apley Attorney-Sherman and Shalloway [52] 111.8. Cl...272/58, 272/60, 272/62,

5/322, 5/355 ABSTRACT [51] int. Cl. ..A63lb 21/00 There is disclosed anexercise device which is adapta [58] Field Of Search ..272/57, 58, 60,62, ble to permit the user to perform a number of 272/63 57 79 R; ferentand varying exercises which includes two ladder 5/2 9 72-79 assembliesprovided with a number of horizontal cross 322 bars, a bed-shelfassembly, and a grip-bar assembly positioned above thevbed-shelfassembly, the bed-shelf [56] References (med assembly and the grip-barassembly being supported UNITED STATES PATENTS between and by the ladderassemblies and positioned at any deslred 1ncl1nat1on w1th respectthereto and 321,388 6/1885 Ruebsam ..5/3l7 B with each other, 1,389,6979 1921 Phipps ..5/9 E 2,781,523

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Patented May 29, 1973 3,735,979

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KAY W. LEVENBERG W Slit/MM WW ATTOII N [IVSPatented May 29, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 in Q C Q. .H IH .HH H@ N QM @K S2 mvam'on KAY W. LEVENBERG f Min/1M Wow ATTORNEYS Patented May 29, 19733,735,9?9

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I INVENTOR KAY W. LEVENBERG av SAL/MM. 34W

ATTORNEYS EXERCISE DEVICE ADAPTABLE T THE PERFORMANCE OF A PLURALITY OFDIFFERENT EXERCISES clusive concern of athletes. It is now considered tobe a rather vital elementin the everyday life of most people. Inresponse to the growing desire to become and remain physically fit, manymanufacturers have expanded their product lines or have created newproduct lines resulting in placing on the market aids to exercisingwhich are varied and numerous. Many of these devices are expensive andpossessing only limited usage, thereby necessitating purchasing a numberof these devicesin order to satisfy one s needs. In addition, storagebecomes a problem as these devices are accumulated, resulting many timesin discouraging individuals from maintaining their fitness programsbecause of the inevitable inconvenience created.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an exercise deviceand more particularly to such device which is adapted to provide acapability of performing a variety of different exercises.

The exercise device of the present invention is constructed in the formof a bed in which a bed-shelf assembly is supported by two ladderassemblies with a grip-bar assembly positioned above the bed shelf andbetween the ladder assemblies. Both the bed-shelf assembly and thegrip-bar assembly are adapted to be supported in a plurality ofpositions with respect to each other. As a result, the device can beused so that any number of different exercises can be accomplished.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a devicewhich will enable its user to perform a variety of different exerciseseasily and effectively.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device which issimple in construction, easy to assemble, and readily adjustable.

For a further and more detailed understanding of the present inventionand the various objects and advantages accomplished thereby, referenceis made to the following description and the accompanying drawings,wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective ofthe exercise device, wherein the bed-shelf assembly and the grip-barassembly are shown in one horizontal position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the exercise device, wherein the bed-shelfassembly is shown in an inclined position relative to the ladderassemblies and with the user preparing to do sit-ups.

FIG. 3 is a side view also showing the bed-shelf assembly in an inclinedposition, but with the user preparing to do leg raises.

FIG. 4 is a side view which shows the bed-shelf assembly and thegrip-bar assembly being utilized by the user to do upper body raises.FIG. 5 is a side view which shows the bed-shelf assembly removed and theuser preparing to do chin-ups.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bed-shelf assembly and how the padof said assembly is fastened for use.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the pad used with the bedshelf assembly. Thepad is provided at both ends with a plurality of fold segments which arefolded so that the pad can be easily stored, and with a tie-down belt.

FIG. 8 is a view of the movable horizontal cross-bar assembly utilizedwith the device of the present invention and which is portable andpositionable with respeet to the ladder assemblies.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a locking feature of the @ip-barassembly.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT bar assembly 12 are positioned and supported.

The ladder assemblies consist of a pair of vertical rails 16 betweenwhich any number of fixed horizontal cross bars 20) are attached. Eachvertical rail 16 has located at a point between any two consecutivefixed horizontal cross bars a receptor hole 26 for receiving therein thepins 5% of a movable horizontal cross-bar assembly 54. At the bottom ofeach vertical rail 16 there extends a suction cup which serves tomaintain the device in a fixed location, thereby preventing slippingduring use. These ladder assemblies can be of any desired height and canhave any number of fixed horizontal cross bars. In addition, they can beconstructed of any desired material such as aluminum, wood, steel, orany combination of these.

The bed-shelf assembly 28 consists of a base 29 on which is laid a pad40. The base is of an elongated boxtype construction having an elongatedcontinuous side wall 31 paralleled by a segmented side wall 30. Bothends of these side walls are provided with a transverse wall 34 fromwhich a plurality of holding pins 36 extend. Positioned between thesegnented walls 30 and extending transversely of the base in a directionparallel to transverse walls M is a storage drawer 32 provided with apair of knobs 3% for opening and closing said drawer. The drawer servesas a storage'area primarily for the mat assembly however, it is ofsufiicient size to accommodate any accessory items which the userdesires to use while exercising. A plurality of slots 46 are formed inthe segmented walls 30 and the continuous wall 31 extending inward fromthe transverse walls M. Slots in segmented wall 3 0 and continuous wall31 are in transverse alignment so that the bedshelf assembly 2% will fitproperly on fixed horizontal cross bars 2.'The bed-shelf assembly isaccordingly supported by the ladder assemblies by causing any alignedpair of slots at the ends of said assembly to hook onto any desiredfixed horizontal cross bar, as shown for example in FIG. 2.

The mat assembly M which forms part of the bedshelf assembly can be astandard exercise-type mat. It consists of a main body portion 50 with aplurality of fold segments 52 connected to both ends thereof, each foldsegment are at least two straps 42 which engage pins 36 on transversewalls 34 so that the mat can be secured in place during use. A tie-downbelt 53 is provided which consists of two pieces which can be buckled inany conventional manner and adapted to hold the knees of the user frommoving when, for example, the user is doing sit-ups. It is preferredthat the mat 40 be of minimal thickness since its function is primarilyto provide comfort for the user.

The movable horizontal cross-bar assembly 54 resembles the fixedhorizontal cross bar 20 in that both are positioned and supportedbetween vertical rails 16 of ladder assemblies 14. The movablehorizontal cross bar, however, can be placed in any desired receptorhole 26 depending upon the position of the bed-shelf assembly 28. Thecross bar consists of a main shaft portion 56 which is preferably ofcylindrical configuration, a fixed pin 58 at one end of said main shaftportion, and a movable pin 63 at the other end of said main shaftportion. Pin 63 consists of a shank portion 64 and a head portion 66.The head portion 66 is retained within bore 60 of main shaft portion 56,and biased outwardly, as shown in FIG. 8, by spring 68 until head 66engages stops or flanges 62 which are an integral part of the main shaftportion 56. To remove the horizontal crossbar assembly 54, it is onlynecessary to depress pin 63 against the force exerted by spring 68.

The grip-bar assembly 12 which is positioned between the ladderassemblies 14 and above the bed-shelf assembly 28 consists of twohorizontal elongated rails 18, a plurality of transverse grip bars 22extending between said horizontal rails 18 at either end thereof, andseparated by a plurality of longitudinal grip bars 24. As shown in FIG.2, horizontal rail 18 is provided with a plurality of slots 48 whichfunction as do slots 46 of bed-shelf assembly 28.

In order to more fully comprehend the versatility of the subjectexercise device, reference is made to the illustrations in FIGS. 2-5. InFIG. 2, the occupant of the device has positioned himself in order toperform a situp exercise. To prepare for this exercise, the bed-shelfassembly is inclined to any desired angle as shown. The occupant thenlays flat on mat assembly 40 with the legs extended so that the. upperpart of the feet abut against a movable horizontal cross bar 54 therebyproviding support and a point of exertion for conducting the sit-ups.Alternatively, the occupants feet can be positioned so that the back ofthe ankles rest on the movable horizontal cross bar 54, while the frontof the feet abut against a fixed horizontal cross bar 20. By raising thelegs slightly, the exercise becomes more difficult.

FIG. 3 shows the occupant positioned to perform a leg-raise exercise.Again, after placing the bed-shelf assembly at any desired inclination,the user lays flat on mat assembly 40 and grasps a fixed horizontalcross bar, or perferably a movable horizontal cross bar, situated forthe purpose, to provide a point of exertion for proceeding with theleg-raise exercise.

FIG. 4 illustrates one possible use of the grip-bar assembly 12. Theparticular illustration shows the occupant performing a simple upperbody raise by simply grasping transverse grip bars 22. It is readilyapparent that the very same exercise can be achieved by graspinglongitudinal grip-bars 24 as well.

FIG. illustrates another possible use of the grip-bar assembly 12. Theuser in this case is shown grasping transverse gnp bar 22 in order toperform a chin-up exercise. To stabilize the grip-bar assembly duringthis exercise, a locking bar is provided as shown in FIG. 9. Thislocking bar is pivotally fastened to the gip-bar assembly by a pivot pin72 so that said locking bar can be moved to its locking position 74,thereby preventing any relative motion between the grip-bar assembly andthe corresponding fixed horizontal cross bars which are supporting'same.These locking bars can be provided at each corner of the grip-barassembly or at only two horizontally aligned corners. Also, twostabilizing rails 76 are provided, one on each side of the device toprevent any possibility that the device will collapse. As can be seen,the latter two transverse grip bars 22 (those closest to ladderassemblies 14) would be designed similar to movable horizontal cross bar54 so that either could be removed when performing a chin-up exercise.

The preferred embodiment of the invention having been described, whichis set forth by way of example only and not intended to limit theinvention to which modifications evidencing the reasonable range ofequivalents, will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An exercise device which can be used to perform a plurality ofdifferent exercises comprising first and second spaced upright laddermembers each having lower ends for supporting said exercise device andupper ends and each of said ladder members including a pair of elongatedrails and a plurality of parallel spaced cross bars extendingtransversely between said rails;

a grip-bar assembly extending between said first and second laddermembers and attached to said upper ends thereof, said grip-bar assemblyincluding a pair of elongated rails and a plurality of spaced grip barsextending between said rails, said plurality of grip bars being arrangedin first and second groups adjacent said first and second laddermembers, respectively, and each of said grip bars extends transverse tosaid rails of said grip-bar assembly, and said grip-bar assembly furtherincluding a plurality of longitudinal bars extending between said firstand second groups of grip bars in parallel with said rails of saidgrip-bar assembly; and

an elongated bed-shelf assembly extending between said first and secondladder members including a base having first and second ends, said firstand second ends of said base including slot means for engaging saidcross bars of said first and second ladder assemblies to support saidbed-shelf assem bly in a position transverse to said ladder members andin positions angularly displaced from said transverse position.

2. The exercise device as recited in claim 1 and further comprisingsuction cups secured to said lower ends of said first and second laddermembers.

3. An exercise device which can be used to perform a plurality ofdifferent exercises comprising first and second spaced upright laddermembers each having lower ends for supporting said exercise device andupper ends and each of said ladder members including a pair of elongatedrails and a plurality of parallel spaced cross bars extendingtransversely between said rails;

a grip-bar assembly extending between said first and second laddermembers and attached to said upper 6 ends thereof, said grip-barassembly including a first and second ladder assemblies to support saidpair of elongated rails and a plurality of spaced grip bed-shelfassembly in a position transverse to said bars extending between saidrails; and ladder members and in positions angularly disan elongatedbed-shelf assembly extending between placed from said transverseposition.

said first and second ladder members including a 5 4. The exercisedevice as recited in claim 3 wherein base having first and second endsand a pair of parsaid bed-shelf assembly'includes a rectangular matsupallel sidewalls extending between said first and secported on saidbase, and said base includes a drawer and ends, said side walls eachhaving a plurality of slidably mounted in one of said side walls andadapted spaced transverse slots therein at each 'of'said first to storesaid mat when not in use. and second ends for engaging said cross barsof said 10

1. An exercise device which can be used to perform a plurality ofdifferent exercises comprising first and second spaced upright laddermembers each having lower ends for supporting said exercise device andupper ends and each of said ladder members including a pair of elongatedrails and a plurality of parallel spaced cross bars extendingtransversely between said rails; a grip-bar assembly extending betweensaid first and second ladder members and attached to said upper endsthereof, said grip-bar assembly including a pair of elongated rails anda plurality of spaced grip bars extending between said rails, saidplurality of grip bars being arranged in first and second groupsadjacent said first and second ladder members, respectively, and each ofsaid grip bars extends transverse to said rails of said grip-barassembly, and said grip-bar assembly further including a plurality oflongitudinal bars extending between said first and second groups of gripbars in parallel with said rails of said grip-bar assembly; and anelongated bed-shelf assembly extending between said first and secondladder members including a base having first and second ends, said firstand second ends of said base including slot means for engaging saidcross bars of said first and second ladder assemblies to support saidbed-shelf assembly in a position transverse to said ladder members andin positions angularly displaced from said transverse position.
 2. Theexercise device as recited in claim 1 and further comprising suctioncups secured to said lower ends of said first and second ladder members.3. An exercise device which can be used to perform a plurality ofdifferent exercises comprising first and second spaced upright laddermembers each having lower ends for supporting said exercise device andupper ends and each of said ladder members including a pair of elongatedrails and a plurality of parallel spaced cross bars extendingtransversely between said rails; a grip-bar assembly extending betweensaid first and second ladder members and attached to said upper endsthereof, said grip-bar assembly including a pair of elongated rails anda plurality of spaced grip bars extending between said rails; and anelongated bed-shelf assembly extending between said first and secondladder members including a base having first and second ends and a pairof parallel side walls extending between said first and second ends,said side walls each having a plurality of spaced transverse slotstherein at each of said first and second ends for engaging said crossbars of said first and second ladder assemblies to support saidbed-shelf assembly in a position transverse to said ladder members andin positions angularly displaced from said transverse position.
 4. Theexercise device as recited in claim 3 wherein said bed-shelf assemblyincludes a rectangular mat supported on said base, and said baseincludes a drawer slidably mounted in one of said side walls and adaptedto store said mat when not in use.